See you in 2021 for our next readathon!

Most readathons focus on students reading a set number of pages.  For dyslexic students, this is often a difficult task.  Our readathon measures the number of minutes spent listening to an audiobook.  There are still misconceptions that children do not get the same benefits from "ear reading" as they do from "eye reading."  It is important to realize that listening to an audiobook should be considered real reading.  Ben Foss, the author of The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan and creator of Headstrong Nation, explains that we need to get over the feeling that listening to books is somehow cheating or not real reading.  Dyslexic himself, Foss points out that we don't question that blind people read with their fingers.  We also need to understand that many people with dyslexia read with their ears.  He encourages the use of the terms “eye reading,” “ear reading” and “finger reading” to encompass the variety of ways to read. 

An article from Discover Magazine explains that when researchers scanned the brains of people reading printed words vs listening to an audiobook, they discovered that the same areas of the brain were stimulated.  You can read the complete article here.

Benefits of Reading with Audiobooks

• Access to content above a child's ability to read printed books.
• Increased vocabulary.
• Promotes independence
• Students can read the same books as their peers.
• Increases comprehension
• Fosters a love of stories when children are not limited in their book choices.

Help us spread awareness that audiobooks are just as valuable as print books, especially for dyslexics!  

• Audible* offers a free 30-day trial
• Bookshare *
• NOOK* from Barnes & Noble
• Librivox* 
• Loyal Books*
• Storynory*
• Overdrive* - Through your public library
• Project Gutenberg
• Gutenberg Reader App*

*Available as an app

 Books featuring characters with dyslexia or a learning difference.

• Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
• Whittington by Alan Armstrong
• May B. by Caroline Starr Rose
• Niagara Falls or Does It? by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Our Favorites

• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia Series) by C.S. Lewis
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
• Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
• House of a Million Pets by Ann Hodgman
• Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne

Our group wants to promote the use of audiobooks for all readers!  By donating to Dreaming Dyslexic you can help us continue to give dyslexic youth the opportunity to connect, be inspired and focus on their dyslexic strengths.  Funds will be used for event supplies and fees, print materials and website costs.